ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

Anville Town

-Someone unexpected sits here. Thirty five years of training has taught him tricks when avoiding detection, and the field of hey-look-over-there surrounding him helps. He watches as Crewe returns from the forest. He sighs as he sips from his hot cocoa.-

Forte's Mindscape, Twinkle Park Zone

-Herbert stops and double takes at Vaporeon!Forte's comment.-

Herbert: ...Hold up. "She"?

Herbert's Mindscape, The Statues

-Yellow!Herbert sighs.-

Yellow!Herbert: We might as well. As unpleasant as Grey is, I would much rather visit him than the Manor. Follow me.

-He starts heading down the hill and along the street leading into the city proper. Purple!Herbert and Green!Herbert also head off in different directions.-

edited 12th Dec '13 4:03:56 PM by Herbert40k

Forte's Mindscape, Twinkle Park Zone

Vaporeon!Forte: Yeah, she. Sylveon is a girl. I don't know why, she just is.

-as if on cue, a girl wearing a ribbon around her neck, and another around one of her Sylveon ears appears on both sides of Herbert and Vaporeon!Forte-

Sylveon!Forte: Why hello there~

Herbert's Mindscape, the Statues

Eevee!Forte: Okay then.

-Eevee!Forte follows Yellow!Herbert back into the city-

Anville Town

-Crewe leaves the woods and looks around-

Maul? I'm ready to go. Didn't die, even.

A clearing in the woods

-Hecate returns to the clearing with a solemn look on her face. As she leaves the trees, a pair of twin identical Zorua break away from a group and scamper over to her. She smiles and stoops to pet their ears-

Hecate: <Hello, my dears.>

Vonda: <Hi Mama!>

Jetta: <Where'd you go, Mama?>

Hecate: <I had to take care of something very important. Now, can you tell me where you big brother is?>

Vonda: <Oh! Oh!>

Jetta: <Swift is with Starlight.>

Vonda: <Jetta! I wanted to tell her!>

Jetta: <Yeah, well, I told her first!>

Hecate: <Now, now. Could you go fetch him?>

Vonda: <I'll get him first!>

Jetta: <No, I'll get him first!>

-the two go running off, squabbling. Hecate watches them go, smiling faintly. Her smile fades as a familiar scent comes up behind her-

Rosaleen: <So, meeting humans in the middle of our territory, Hecate? That doesn't seem like something the tribe would approve of if they knew…>

-Hecate whirls around, grabbing the other Zoroark by the throat and pinning her to a nearby tree-

Hecate: <If you intend to use this in some manner of pitiful ploy to gain power against me, Rosaleen, I highly suggest you reconsider.>

-Rosaleen sneers, grabbing at Hecate's claws-

Rosaleen: -gasping for breath- <I thought… you had… outgrown humans…>

Hecate: <I assure you, I have no intention of returning to humanity.>

Rosaleen: <Why not… kill the girl?>

Hecate: <… That is none of your concern, Rosaleen.>

Rosaleen: <I think… concern… of the tribe… if chief… is meeting humans…>

-Hecate growls and presses her up harder against the tree. Rosaleen yelps-

Hecate: <The girl will never return here. She has proven herself before to be of no danger to the tribe, and has in fact shown herself to be a… an ally to us. Nevertheless, you may rest assured she will never return here.>

-Rosaleen is no longer able to speak, pawing desperately at Hecate's hold. Hecate drops her-

Rosaleen: <No… human… ally…>

Hecate: <You have a closed mind, Rosaleen. You never could accept anything you weren't told by your parents. Or my brother, I suppose.>

Rosaleen: <See… what… tribe thinks…>

-Hecate snorts and backhands her-

Hecate: <Oh, I doubt it. You know, my dear, you aren't thought of very highly among our tribes mates. Should you attempt to lower their opinion of me through slander, I don't really think they'll believe you, or look kindly on you at all. And should they find that you are, perhaps, mistaken… Well. Tell me, what do you think would happen, my dear?>

Rosaleen: <…>

Hecate: <Hm? I'm afraid I didn't hear you, dear.>

Rosaleen: <Don't… talk down to me.>

Hecate: <I will talk any way I like to you, Rosaleen. You are not the chief any longer. Your attempts to usurp my position are occasionally amusing, so I tolerate them, but remember that I am in charge here, and you have no more worth than the dirt beneath my feet unless I say you do.>

Rosaleen: <…>

Hecate: <Now run along, dear. I have some work to be done, and you have ceased to be amusing.>

-Rosaleen scampers off. Hecate turns to see Swift looking at her-

Swift: <… Problems, Mother?>

Hecate: <Rosaleen being Rosaleen, dear, nothing to worry about.>

Swift: <I worry you're too hard on her, Mother. She was your brother's best friend.>

Hecate: <That is hardly a reason to be kinder to her, Swift, and you know it. Regardless, she is a conniving little weasel intent on stealing my position from me once again.>

Swift: <… If you say so, Mother. What did you want me for?>

Hecate: <You can return to your Starlight soon, don't worry, dear. Will you walk with me a moment?>

Swift: -blushing under his fur- <We—we weren't—>

Hecate: -smiling- <Oh, hush, dear. I have nothing against the girl. She's very pretty, you know.>

Swift: <Mother!>

Hecate: <Though I hear she's excellent with Illusion… so good, you can never tell she's using it, and they say she can make herself look like anything…>

Swift: <You said you wanted to walk, Mother?!>

Hecate: <Ah, yes. Come, dear.>

-she starts off through the woods. Swift follows alongside her-

Hecate: <Do you remember, some years ago, when I came home with a human girl?>

Swift: <Yes…>

Hecate: <Do you remember who she was?>

Swift: <She was your Trainer, right? And then she released you and you came back and challenged Rosaleen for command of the tribe again, and won.>

Hecate: <Yes, she was my Trainer.>

Swift: <She betrayed you.>

Hecate: <… Yes, so I thought.>

Swift: <… Mother?>

Hecate: <That girl came to speak with me earlier.>

-Swift stops short-

Swift: <Wh-what?!>

Hecate: <Keep walking, dear.>

-he hurries to catch up with her again-

Swift: <She came after you? Did she try to catch you? Did you fight her off?>

Hecate: <Don't be silly. She knows better than to try and catch me again. I daresay I left quite the impression on the girl. I'll be surprised if she touches another Zoroark again.>

Swift: <Then… what did she want?>

Hecate: <… To apologize.>

Swift: <Did you…>

Hecate: <Accept it? Oh, no. Apologizing was the cruelest thing she's ever done to me.>

-Swift looks confused-

Hecate: <My dear… she has challenged me. She has challenged one of my fiercest beliefs, and she knew that and still came looking for me.>

Swift: <You don't seem very upset, Mother.>

Hecate: <Because, Swift, I can handle challenges. Crewe is no more of a threat than Rosaleen is. Does Rosaleen upset me?>

Swift: <She certainly seems to make you angry.>

Hecate: <Oh, she is an irritation, to be sure, but she has been dealt with and continues to be dealt with. Crewe's challenge may be slightly different, but the principle is the same. I will not allow this little girl to cow me with her words any more than I will allow Rosaleen to usurp my position with her… whatever fool plot she is currently working on.>

Swift: <… As long as you won't let it get to you too badly, Mother…>

-Hecate smiles and kisses his forehead-

Hecate: <I promise. Now run along and get back to your Starlight. She is a lovely girl, you know.>

-Swift hugs her-

Swift: <I know, Mother.>

Hecate: <Oh, and Swift? There will be a small white bag under the turntable in the town outside the woods. Take some fighters with her and go retrieve it. The items inside will be passed around to hunting parties as they go out. They are to prevent Trainers from kidnapping you.>

-Swift blinks in surprise, but nods-

Swift: <Yes, Mother.>

-she smiles-

Hecate: <Good. Now, go on.>

-he nods and darts back to camp-

-Hecate watches him go, then follows him back more slowly, a small smile on her face-

Psyche texts Eskay back.

En Route to Olivine

Forte's Mindscape, Twinkle Park Zone

-Herbert stares incredulously at Vaporeon!Forte for a moment.-

Herbert: ...You know, Dune's Mindscape had something like this as well. Is repressed femininity or whatever it's supposed to represent a common theme here in the-

-He hears Sylveon!Forte appear to the side of him and wheels around to face her, blinking.-

Herbert: ...Not that I'm complaining, mind. Hey there, hot stuff. What can I do for you?

Herbert's Mindscape

-Instead of heading back into the city, however, Yellow!Herbert turns right as the cobbled path forks and starts heading towards a facsimile of the Galactic Eterna Building, albeit one with the trees blocking the entrance cut away.-

Yellow!Herbert: Here we are. I assume that Grey will be inside.

Anville Town

Maul: ~Pity.~

-Crewe is blipped back to Gateon along with Maul.-

Psyche sighs as she looks at the text.

Forte's Mindscape, Twinkle Park Zone

Sylveon!Forte: "Hot stuff"? Ooh, someone's flirty~

Vaporeon!Forte: -facepalms- You realize she's still Mezzo, right?

Sylveon!Forte: I'm not complaining~

Herbert's Mindscape, Galactic Eterna Building

Eevee!Forte: This place looks kind of creepy.

En Route to Olivine

-Eskay smiles-

Psyche sighs again.

Gateon Port

-Deziree, realizing that Diane may not even have a phone right now, goes looking for her. Obviously, she starts with the highest point in the immediate area.-

Gateon Port, Lighthouse

-Which is here.-

Anville Town

Gee, thanks.

Gateon Center

… Well, I never have to deal with that again.

Gateon Lighthouse

-Diane is indeed here. She's sitting on the edge, something that would be incredibly unsafe for anyone who doesn't have an armband and a Pokeform with the ability to fly.-

En Route to Olivine

edited 12th Dec '13 4:21:49 PM by Eskay64

Gateon Center

-Notices Crewe is around-

Oh, you're back. How'd things go?

Psyche sighs a sigh of relief.

Forte's Mindscape, Twinkle Park Zone

-Herbert gives Sylveon!Forte a small smirk.-

Herbert: I do try. So, how about you give us a quick tour around the place?

-He then takes note of Vaporeon!Forte, and goes slightly red.-

Herbert: Uh... right, yeah. If you could show us to the exit as well, that'd also be nice.

Herbert's Mindscape, The Galactic Building

Yellow!Herbert: Indeed it does. Come on through. I'm sure Grey will be keen to give us a warm reception...

-He heads through the automatic doors into a sterile white lobby. A boy who appears to be about eleven or so, dressed in a grey spacesuit, is sitting with his feet up on the reception desk. He groans when he sees Yellow!Herbert and Eevee!Forte come in.-

Grey!Herbert: What do you two want? I thought I asked you not to drag any strays you find in here, Yellow.

Gateon Pokemon Center

Maul: <...>

-Maul stares at Crewe for a while before wandering away wordlessly.-

edited 12th Dec '13 4:25:37 PM by Herbert40k

Gateon Port, Lighthouse

Deziree: Oh, hey Diane! I've been looking for you.

-She leans up against the railing beside the Staraptor-y young woman.-

Gateon Center

-Crewe goes over and hugs him tightly-

… I'm not sure. She didn't kill me, so that's a plus.

Forte's Mindscape, Twinkle Park Zone

Sylveon!Forte: Oh, I'd be glad to~

-Sylveon!Forte leads Herbert and Vaporeon!Forte into another hall-

-if Herbert is paying attention to the mirrors, he may notice that the floor of this hall is not reflected in them-

Sylveon!Forte: Right this way~

Herbert's Mindscape, the Galactic Building

Eevee!Forte: Hey! I am not a stray!

Forte's Mindscape, Twinkle Park Zone

-Unfortunately, Herbert is not the most observant person even at the best of times, and he is a little too, ahem, distracted by Sylveon!Forte to pay much attention to his surroundings. As such, he simply follows behind without pause.-

Herbert's Mindscape, The Galactic Building

-Grey!Herbert swings his feet down from the desk and walks towards Eevee!Forte.-

Grey!Herbert: Then why are you dressed like one?

Gateon Center

That's good. So what happened with Hecate?

Gateon Lighthouse

-Diane looks over at Deziree-

Diane: Oh, hi! What for?

Relic Forest

-The Heatran may notice a not-really-human woman approaching.-

Gateon Center

Well… I apologized, and she yelled at me, and I apologized some more, and then I called Silent and got some tracers for her pack and then we talked about her family a little and then I left.

Forte's Mindscape, Twinkle Park Zone

-as Herbert steps onto the floor, it opens up beneath him, sending him into a black pit below-

Sylveon!Forte: Hehehe~ Watch your step~

Herbert's Mindscape, the Galactic Building

Eevee!Forte: I'm dressed like an Eevee, not a stray!